The Child He Loved
by martiansarepeopletoo
Summary: Morgana has been defeated, Arthur is king, and he and Gwen have a daughter who they love more than anything else. Merlin has been her best and most loyal friend as she has grown up, but even the best of friends keep some secrets from each other...
1. Prologue

**This is a story I thought up while watching repeats of Merlin. As will probably be evident by the end of this chapter, I'm a huge Arthur/Gwen fan, but this story doesn't actually centre on them, although they feature in it a lot. This is just the prologue, to set things in motion and lay the background for the actual story. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Believe it or not, I don't actually own Merlin. That's why I'm on this site. If I owned the show, there would be a lot less Morgana and a lot more Arthur/Gwen. :)**

'Arise King Arthur, monarch of Camelot!'

Merlin smiled, tears of pride in his eyes as he watched Arthur rise. The young king still bore the marks of grief from the loss of his father, but he stood tall and smiled as the applause rang through the hall. His eyes met Merlin's, and he laughed quietly as Merlin assumed a solemn face and gave a low bow. It had not been long since the final defeat of Morgana and Morgause, and Camelot was still adjusting back to the life it had known before they had unleashed their full power upon it and nearly destroyed it. Uther had not survived that final battle, and it was for this reason that Arthur was standing wearing the crown of Camelot much sooner than anyone had expected.

Arthur's wandering eyes soon found Gwen in the room. She was crying, and smiled at him through her tears. They both knew, of course they did, that this was just the beginning for them. That they could be together, and never fear discovery again. At last.

Finally, Arthur looked at his people, and as he did he suddenly realised just how much he cared about them. He had always known it, but now that he was so responsible for their lives he felt a protectiveness for them that would never go away. Smiling, he raised his hand in acknowledgement and as they shouted his name, for the first time since his father's death he felt truly happy.

x x x

'I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.'

Another milestone passed in Arthur's life, thought Merlin as he gazed at the couple now entwined at the front of the church. The day Arthur had removed the law against royalty marrying commoners had been a huge shock for Camelot, and not all of its inhabitants were entirely pleased with the change. But for most, it was another step towards a better future led by their new King, and they applauded it. Of course, before the day was out Arthur had proposed to Gwen, and within a week the two had made the announcement public and already started planning the wedding. Now, a month since the day of the proposal, they were at long last married, and it would not be long until Gwen became Queen Guinevere at her coronation. As he sat watching them, Merlin began to think about how in order to continue to lead the kingdom further into the destined future; he would soon have to tell Arthur about his magic. He knew it would not be easy, but he was also sure that the King would understand. It would show him that not all magic was bad, and possibly open his eyes to the concept of a new world where good magic was to be embraced, and not punished.

x x x

'You what?'

Merlin took a deep breath.

'I said I – I have magic, Arthur.'

Arthur stared at Merlin for several seconds, before suddenly bursting into laughter.

'What – what are you laughing about?'

Arthur was bent over now.

'_You_, Merlin! Do you honestly think I'm going to believe that? _Magic_…' he choked out, laughter shaking his body.

Merlin sighed, and held out his hand.

'_Morthdres ampuarne dae nathren_.' Arthur's eye's flickered up just in time to see Merlin's glow deep amber, and he whirled around to see his cupboard burst open and all of his clothes fly out. They circled the room once, then returned to the cupboard folded and shut themselves back in. He slowly turned back to his manservant, shock written all over his faced. They stared at each other for what must have been minutes, until Arthur managed to open his mouth.

'I don't understand,' he croaked. '_Why?_'

'Why?' Merlin laughed almost bitterly. 'You think I chose this?' He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them and said, 'I was born with it, Arthur. _Born_ with it. I couldn't help it any more than you could help being born royal.'

'So you've – you've _used_ it?' Arthur almost whispered.

'Oh, Arthur,' smiled Merlin, 'you have no idea.'

x x x

Gwen's screams echoed down the corridors of the castle, and into Arthur's chambers remarkably loudly. Merlin sat nervously on a chest of drawers, while the king himself paced up and down anxiously biting his knuckles.

'I'm sure everything will be fine.' Merlin broke the tense silence. Arthur's head jerked at a particularly loud shout, and he spoke.

'That's it. I'm going in.'

'You can't! Didn't you hear Gaius? The risk of infection is – it's too great!'

'But my mother _died_ in this situation, Merlin. _Died_. I can't just leave her!'

'Arthur, I think that this is one thing Gwen has to do by herself.'

Punching the wall, Arthur resumed his pacing, before flinging himself on his bed.

'How do people cope with this more than once?'

'I wouldn't know,' Merlin sighed. 'Rather you than me is all I'm going to say.'

All of a sudden, the shouting stopped, and footsteps were heard running down the corridor. Arthur leapt to his feet and flung open the door. A young maid was stood there.

'Is she all right?' Arthur asked urgently.

'Come and see for yourself.' the maid replied with a smile. Arthur pushed past her, raced down the corridor and threw himself through a door. Merlin followed him almost as quickly.

Lying on the bed was Gwen, drenched in sweat and looking as if she'd just run several miles. But she was beaming at the small, pink being wrapped a white blanket that was lying in her arms. She looked up when Arthur entered and whispered,

'Isn't she _beautiful_?'

Taking a shaky step towards the bed, her husband got his first real look at his daughter. He took a deep breath as Gwen held her out to him, and all of a sudden he was holding her. His child. His daughter. Gwen's daughter. Their daughter…

'Congratulations, sire.'

Arthur looked round at Merlin.

'Thank you, Merlin.'

Gwen twisted in the bed until she too could see Merlin.

'So?'

Merlin looked at her, confusion clouding his face.

'What?'

'What do you think we should call her?'

Merlin looked from Arthur to Gwen, astonished. Arthur grinned at him, and nodded. Taking a step closer to the baby princess, Merlin looked at her eyes. They were a hazelly blue, a perfect mix of Arthur's and Gwen's. They reminded him of another pair he had once seen. Looking up, he gave that beam that was just so _him_, and said,

'I think you should call her Freya.'

And so they did.

**Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! Please review; I love you all :)**

_**Iliketotastetherainbow x**_


	2. Of Hunting, Memories and Corridors

Firstly, thank you to everyone who reviewed the prologue, you were all so lovely! This chapter is set fifteen years ahead of the birth of Freya. Merlin is about 33, and Arthur is about 36 (yes, I know these ages don't really work with how old they look in the TV series, but it works with the story). Enjoy! :)

'Sire, she's absolutely adamant. She won't come.'

Arthur rolled his eyes at Merlin. The court magician smiled back.

'Tell her that I am her father, I order her to and if she doesn't come she is banned from buying any new dresses for a whole month.'

Merlin nodded. He walked out of the throne room, where Arthur was preparing to go on a hunt with his daughter. The young princess couldn't stand the idea of killing an animal for no reason, and could rarely be persuaded to join the king on his expeditions into the forest.

Merlin headed to Freya's chambers, where he found her sat on her bed, arms folded, and with a look on her face that distinctly said I've Made My Mind Up.

'Princess Freya. Your father has asked me to inform you that if you do not join him on today's hunt, you will be banned from buying any new dresses for a month.'

She turned her stony glare on him, and after a few seconds both burst into peals of laughter.

'You're _joking_! He honestly thinks I'm that shallow?'

'Well, you do seem to have a preference for purple silk at the moment, Freya.' Merlin sat down next to her on the bed, and she leaned her head into his shoulder.

'Why don't they understand, Merlin? I just don't like the way people kill innocent creatures for absolutely no reason at all! I mean, if it were a trip to help stock the kitchens, then I might consider, but…'

'I know.' He smiled down at her. The young girl was as strong minded and stubborn as her father, and had been all her life. He'd been her best friend for as long as she could remember. He could still recall sitting with her in the gardens when she was three, making little bubbles out of nothingness while she ran around trying to catch them, her auburn curls bouncing as she laughed. Or when she was seven, and had just learnt to read properly (under his tuition, of course). He could picture even now that magical moment when everything clicked and she could see real words on the pages instead of the little, jumbled up black marks. Her first proper sword fight with a local boy, and how proud he had felt when she floored the poor lad in seconds. And her last birthday, when Arthur had let her have her first taste of wine - one glass had been enough to make her gigglier that Merlin had ever seen her.

She noticed his grin.

'Hey? What are you smiling about?'

'Just – memories.'

She sighed.

'You old people. So nostalgic. Come on then, let's go and tell my father I am NOT GOING.'

He snorted at her tone, and took her outstretched hand. They ran down the corridors, their laughter echoing off the stone walls.

It was funny. When he was with her, he felt almost like he was only fifteen years old himself.

Thanks for reading! Again, this chapter wasn't much in the way of storyline, but I'm getting there! I promise to update soon :) love you all!

Iliketotastetherainbow x


	3. Of Fighting, Laughing and Warm Eyes

Yay! Plot is about to start to develop! Apologies for the length of time since updating, I've had about a million exams and stuff, so hopefully you'll forgive me :) Without further ado, here is chapter three.

x x x

'Oh, for God's sake! Freya Guinevere Pendragon, will you just listen to me!'

'Don't you "Freya Guinevere" me! I'm not an infant!'

'If you don't want to be treated like one, then I suggest you start actually acting your age!'

Arthur sighed. He was watching through a window at the scene outside. His daughter and his best friend were stood facing each other in the courtyard, screaming at each other fit to burst. He didn't really see what the problem was. All Merlin had done was dropped Freya's diary in the fire, by accident of course. He'd managed to get it out quickly, and restored the pages by magic, but when Freya had discovered him she had immediately come to the assumption that he had _read_ it. He'd explained, but she remained convinced that at some point he'd opened it out of sheer curiosity and that all her secrets were now firmly locked away in his head.

'For the last time, Freya! _I DIDN'T READ YOUR STUPID DIARY!_'

They stared each other in the eyes, seething with anger, until quite suddenly they both inexplicably started laughing. Arthur blinked in astonishment. They were hugging each other now, and tears of laughter were actually rolling down Freya's cheeks. He shook his head. Merlin was still such a child. And as for Freya… well, Arthur could never tell what was going on with her. Since becoming a teenager, she'd been so much more moody and withdrawn. The only person she could be counted on to always talk to was Merlin. And recently, these discussions usually involved a furious argument, followed by a sudden and unpredictable return to friendship again. He doubted he'd ever truly be able to understand their relationship. It was just too complicated.

Outside, Merlin and Freya were still clinging to each other. Merlin kissed her on the forehead, and then smiled at her.

'You are the most frustrating person I know. You give your father a run for his money!'

'Oh, shut up!' she replied, punching his arm. 'Come on, let's go. I want to see if Gaius is up for making some more of that sleep potion. It worked wonders on my father last time I wanted to sneak out.'

'Freya!' Merlin pretended to be shocked. 'You rebellious child!'

She smiled and took his hand in hers. She liked the way it felt, still soft even after years of living. He gave hers a squeeze, and looked in her eyes. She liked looking at his eyes too. They made her feel warm, and happy, and it was just… nice, to see the depth in them.

'Well? Are we going? Gaius is ninety six, Freya, he'll probably have dropped dead by the time we get there!'

She raised her eyebrows, and together the exited the courtyard, still holding hands.

x x x

Like? Hate? Whatever, I'd love to hear your feedback, so please review! You know I love you all :)

**Iliketotastetherainbow x**


	4. Of Meetings, Tickling and Tears

**Okay. First off, an apology. I am so sorry I haven't posted on this for a while! I can't put it down to writer's block really, as I've been happily posting other stories, but I just kind of got stuck on this one. But I'm going to try and get back on track, and with any luck I should be posting every week or so. Thank you all for being patient!**

Freya sat upright in her chair, fidgeting with her sleeve. She was seated in the hall with her father, his knights and Merlin. They were discussing battle strategies. She wasn't enjoying a minute of it, but as she had begged to be involved, thinking it would be ridiculously exciting, she couldn't exactly just up and leave. Most of what they were saying was going over her head completely, and it looked like it was Merlin's too. But he was in charge of a small group of approved magicians whose job it was to defend Camelot through the use of enchantment, and he had to be in on the plans to understand his part fully. Occasionally he would lift his head and smile at her, knowing how bored she was, but Arthur would wrench it back down and continue his non-stop monologue of battle-talk. No one else contributed to the plans or even spoke, apart from to confirm something. The only point anyone else entered the conversation was when Merlin uncertainly pointed to a spot on the map and asked why they couldn't station some knights there, considering there was no apparent owner of the land on the paper and it was therefore clearly available. Arthur raised his head, looked at his court magician, and said 'Merlin?'

'Yes, sire?'

'Shut up.' Then his head was back down, and he carried on his talk. The knight next to Merlin kindly relieved him of his confusion by pointing out that, actually, the land Merlin had suggested was not one but two kingdoms away and therefore not theirs to use. Merlin, needless to say, stayed silent for the rest of the meeting.

After it had finished, he was walking down the corridor to his room when he heard some footsteps hurrying to catch him up. He turned to see Freya heading towards him.

'So,' he smiled as she reached him. 'How did you find your first planning meeting?'

'I think I may have lost the will to live at some point,' she replied, 'My father has the most monotonous voice in the world.' Merlin laughed, and slung his arm around her shoulders as he spoke. '_You_ don't have to attend them every single week.'

'I do now. I begged him, and he told me I was to come for six weeks and then see if I was so enthusiastic about them.' She groaned. 'It's times like these I wish I actually thought before I act.'

'You are so much like your father.'

She thumped him, laughing, and he turned to her with a look of mock horror on his face. 'You know what that means.'

'No!' she shrieked, as he began to tickle her mercilessly. He knew how ticklish she was, she would start giggling even when someone was just thinking about tickling her. She tried desperately to wrestle him off, but he pinned her to the wall and refused to stop. 'Apologise!' he said, mimicking Arthur's deep voice. She couldn't physically form words, but he saw her lips mouth 'I'm sorry!' before descending into further laughter. He stopped suddenly, knowing how she was going to react. It was the only reason he ever bothered tickling her.

Her eyes looked at him with deep mistrust, certain he was going to launch back into tickling again. 'Please don't do that again!' she begged.

'I won't,' he smiled.

'I mean it! Please, please don't! I'm so sorry! You're going to, aren't you? I'm sorry, Merlin! I'm sorry!'

He couldn't help laughing. Whenever anyone tickled Freya, she would begin begging them not to do it afterwards. She was always so certain they would do it again, she felt the need to practically weep into their laps for about five minutes before realising they truly had stopped.

'Freya, I won't!' He grinned down at her and she uncertainly began to straighten up. She didn't break eye contact with him, and he stared straight back at her. As usual, her hazel-blue eyes transported him back soon enough, and he was with the original Freya by the lake, pleading with her not to die. Of course, she did, and he could almost feel the rain pouring down his back as he pulled her tightly towards him. His eyes filled with tears, and he blinked hard, realising he was still in the present with the young princess.

'Merlin?'

He wiped his eyes, and tried to smile. 'I-I'm fine. Ignore me.'

She caught his hand as he rubbed it across his cheek. 'Hey.'

He looked down at her, her face distorted through the tears still swimming in his eyes. But hers were clear through the haze, bright and shining, and he clung to them. She stroked his hand with her thumb, and said, 'It's her, isn't it?'

He looked confused, and she spoke again. 'Freya. The other one, I mean. When I was younger, and you slept in my room, you used to talk about her. In your sleep. It didn't take me long to realise she was my namesake.'

Merlin stared at her, then pulled her towards him and hugged her hard. She responded by wrapping her arms around him, and they stood holding in each other for what could have been hours. Eventually, they heard footsteps coming closer, and pulled apart.

'Come on,' Merlin said, 'I don't think it'd go down too well if Arthur were to find out his best friend and his daughter had been discovered embracing in the corridor!'

She smiled gently, and together they walked off, their hands once again joined.

**Good? Bad? Please review, and thanks so much for being patient with me!**

**Of course, I love you all :)**

**Iliketotastetherainbow x**


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